San Juan Sweethearts – Nelly and Mark’s island wedding

After 9 years of dating, Nelly and Mark planned the perfect wedding in the tropical archipelago, the San Juan Islands, surrounded by their friends and family and of course the day wouldn’t of been complete without their dog, Elly May getting to walk down the aisle too!

F R O M T H E B R I D E

We first met…

At the time I was living in Scottsdale, AZ and Mark was living in Maui, HI. We both flew home to our hometown of Anacortes, WA for Christmas and reconnected while out with friends & family.

We knew it was love…

When Mark was visiting me in Arizona, and changed his flight two times because I didn’t want him to leave. The long-distance thing only last 6 months and we were both back in Seattle permanently.

The proposal…

Mark had planned that he would propose to me at my sister’s birthday party in front of all of our friends and family. Well Mark got cold feet and decided to propose to me 2 days later when it was just him and I at home with our dog, it was incredibly romantic! I’m happy he waited until the timing was just right and I was totally surprised.

T H E W E D D I N G

Our dream wedding…

We both wanted our guests to have a romantic evening on one of the longest days of the year, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the San Juans Islands and the glorious summer gardens in Roche Harbour. A romantic evening, in the garden right on the ocean, just perfect!

Our Photographer…

Sara Parsons Photography. She’s the best photographer around and we were honoured to have her shoot our wedding! She’s incredibly talented, adventurous and romantic with her style, her photos are breathtaking. We can’t stop looking at them!

Ceremony and reception location…

I’ve wanted to get married in Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands ever since I was a little girl. It was a place my family went every summer on our sailboat, so many great memories in such a beautiful place!

Pre wedding celebrations…

Our rehearsal dinner was on the Shipwreck Beach, a chef cooked seafood paella over an open fire right on the ocean with our violinist playing in the background. After dinner the guests were invited out on a yacht for a sunset cruise. It was a perfect way to kick off the wedding weekend with our guests!

The bridal party…

We had 6 groomsmen and 6 bridesmaids. My sister was my Maid of Honour and Mark’s Best Man was his best friend since childhood.

The bridesmaids wore…

I let them pick their own dresses! I wanted my sister, who was my Maid of Honour to wear a navy dress and all my bridesmaids wore a peach or blush coloured dress. I requested that all the dresses be long and fancy.. I loved how all the dresses turned out together, they were incredibly gorgeous and one of my favourite parts of the wedding!

We used the rectangle tables and made long rows with navy table linens with a navy and white striped runner and named each table for an island in the San Juan Islands. Each place setting had a gold charger, white napkin and white plates. The ceremony flowers that were re-purposed for the table centerpieces to give it an ombre effect. Other table decor included gold candlesticks and pieces of driftwood with votive candles.

For ceiling decor, we had Edison Light Bulbs and branch wreaths that were made by the bride’s mother.

A boarding pass for the sunset cruise that happened after the rehearsal dinner.

Memorable moments…

Mark walking our 11 year old dog, Elly May, down the aisle with him. It was so cute and she loved all the attention (so did Mark)! Also having the entire harbor full of boats and people honk their horns and cheer for us as we left the marina on our sailboat after the ceremony.

Wedding soundtrack…

Our first dance was “At Last” by “Etta James”, fitting for a couple who dated for 9 years before they finally became husband and wife!

We stayed one week at The St. Regis Resort in Punta Minta Mexico and 5 days at Hotel Mousai in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. It was incredibly relaxing and romantic!

Future plans…

For now we will continue to enjoy living and working in Seattle, WA. We look forward to becoming homeowners and parents in the near future!

In 40 years we hope to…

Be happy and healthy and sailing off into the sunset together…hopefully with our kids and grandkids in tow.

W E D D I N G W I S D O M

The engagement…

Take a few months to enjoy the engagement before you start planning the wedding.

Planning…

I literally transformed a room in our house that we called the “wedding command center”, I had bulletin boards with my inspiration and ideas on it, seating chart, reception floor plan, a crafting station and all of the wedding supplies and decorations. I also created my own wedding email address that I had all my vendors contact me on. It helped keep me super organized and sane!

On the day…

Hire a wedding planner or at least a day of coordinator. You will enjoy the day so much more!